goatboy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 So I've sold one of my cars so my hunt for a 350z has stepped up a gear and I'm looking to buy in the next week or 2. At the moment of seen 2 2005 cars, both similar spec, but one a UK car and one a fresh import. Import has slightly lower miles (25K ish) and looks faultless comes with a 3 year warranty for £13,995 and a fair bit of room for movement I think. The UK car has about 6k more miles, only a 6 month warranty, but is the same price with a bit less scope for haggling I think. I like the JDM car, and the 3 year warranty is very tempting, but can't help but think its a smidge over priced and will be more painful to sell on. Am I right? I don't intend to do a lot of mods (ATM) but you never know, so the JDM may be better for that I guess? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac@TarmacSportz Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Mines an import, it was a little cheaper but not much to be honest... I don't think there is as much of a stigma with imports as there used to be nowadays, I got full documentation and pics of the mileage etc when I got mine. At the end of the day its up to you, UK SPEC will prob hit a wider audience when selling it on but to be fair 'like a Supra' I had the Zed isnt a particularly common car so they are easy enough to sell on. After I bought my Zed I did a 'mock advertisement' of my Z on Ebay to see what interest I would get and I was offered £500 more than I paid for it from the garage so dont worry if you prefer the Import Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry3167 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Theres a MINT Import 06 plate in the cars for sale section 12K miles, with nice Mods!! Great price too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatboy Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Theres a MINT Import 06 plate in the cars for sale section 12K miles, with nice Mods!! Great price too yep saw that, problem is I have another car I was hoping to trade in. not very keen on the spoiler either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Good luck with your hunt mate - but (and don't any JDM owners take me the wrong way here!) IMHO 13995 for an 05 JDM is way over the odds - you're paying for the warranty there which you're likely to find isn't worth the paper its written on for the important things like clutch / gearbox etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Both great cars but ideally you should be paying a bit less for the same spec import as a uk car. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Both cars seem way over priced there IMHO, and also i'd expect a bit more of a gap between the import price and uk price... but the smaller the gap the better, seeing as mines an import!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Just get the best possible condition and mileage car for your money is the key really. Shop around there are plenty at that price. Don't be wary of imports if they are in good condition but you should pay a little less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digsy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Not all imports are the same - there are spec differences and lower specs will come without the Brembo brakes you get on UK cars. There will be other differences too, so do your homework in the JDM section. I think Vik is right that the import looks over priced and the warranty is likely to have more holes in it than a sieve... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatboy Posted August 18, 2009 Author Share Posted August 18, 2009 Yeah I'm not sure about the warranty, its an AA one but I would have to read the small print. If its any good then its worth a few hundred quid. The Import does have Brembos and GT4 wheels by the way! I'm actually struggling to find one at a dealer for that kind of price with lowish mileage and is not a million miles away from me in West London, loads of private sales for less cash but not many where I can trade in my mitsubishi colt... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac@TarmacSportz Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Yeah I'm not sure about the warranty, its an AA one but I would have to read the small print. If its any good then its worth a few hundred quid.The Import does have Brembos and GT4 wheels by the way! I'm actually struggling to find one at a dealer for that kind of price with lowish mileage and is not a million miles away from me in West London, loads of private sales for less cash but not many where I can trade in my mitsubishi colt... Mines got Brembo's and will soon have Nismo LMGT4 wheels (picking up this weekend) To be fair you will prob pay a little more being down there, Is it not worth sticking your Colt on ebay/auto trader ? you will get a better price than trading it in and u will have more freedom/buying power when purchasing your beloved ZED. Its worth the extra hassle and time to get the right deal bud... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnywas Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 i dont understand why an import can be cheeper as the condition is always better than a uk car at the same age,i have had 6 imports,i was told by an mot inspector that my car at the time which was 10 years old was as good condition as a 2 year old uk car ,he said all the bushes etc were like new,most uk cars start to rust after the first winter, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 i dont understand why an import can be cheeper as the condition is always better than a uk car at the same age,i have had 6 imports,i was told by an mot inspector that my car at the time which was 10 years old was as good condition as a 2 year old uk car ,he said all the bushes etc were like new,most uk cars start to rust after the first winter, Because in Japan they usually start the car, leave the driveway/parking structure and straight into a traffic jam, hence reduced wear and tear. Also the Shaken (jap version of MOT) is alot stricter than our standards and has to last for 2 years as opposed to our MOT only lasting one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 mine was a minter as well with seriously low mileage - its just the unfounded stigma. People can just as easily buy a dodgy uk car privately and have no comeback whatsoever! I'm happy to have an import - i got it cheaper and if i had to sell it I'd sell it cheaper - simples! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcash5 Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Mark has just picked up on what I was about to say, Normally the JDM ones are better looked after. Limited speed limits (Cant stress the engine as much) Much more Strick MOT's and when they get over here usually they are cheaper tax - I only pay £180 a year on mine. Aslong as you go with someone who knows what they are looking for and the owner seems good normally you will be ok. Ive noticed my JDM history is alot more frequent than the UK ones aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixy Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 i got lucky with the tax too dan........but some NOT so lucky...... I also think for the age, mileage and condition of my car, plus the extensive jap ice that was in it, it can't have been a daily driver. I guess the amazing public transport over there gets used more than cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anubis Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Mine is an import and its faultless (an extremely good example!) I was at first hesitant to the fact it was branded 'import', then I thought...why? Its the same car, made by the same people and even came out of the same factory. I'd 100% get another import - no problems at all (touch wood). Infact, I think with japanese sports cars having an official 'import' is cooler - at least you know its going to be very slightly different to the UK ones, yet you can still get it fixed in the UK if need be with the exact same parts (no difference at all). Its like those who go for a younger car just because it is younger rather than the overall quality. Would you buy a house because its younger rather than the quality? Nope. So why any different with a car? At the end of the day, I'd defo choose the JDM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatboy Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 Cheers all. I may just have another look at both at the weekend and make a decision. Looking forward to being a Zed owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zedwagon Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 +1 on all the above i positively looked for a JDM cos i think (generally speaking!) they're in a lot better condition and lower mileage than the equivalent age uk cars and they cost less to buy plus i love all the japanese stickers/writing that you get you just need to read up on the spec and make sure you get everything you want Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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